Code Geass: The Tale of the Black King
by Pingwo
Summary: Lelouch vi Britannia had everything he could ever wish for. A prodigious mind. An inherited talent for piloting KMFs. A loving family. But one night his world is turned upside down and he must choose what path he will follow. For his choices will shape the future of the world. AU. Lelouch stays in Britannia.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Once upon a time, there was a little prince. His name was Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the empire of Britannia, was considered a genius. One of the few prodigies that the royal family had given birth to since the ascend of the 98th Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, to the throne.

It wasn't a surprise to many, considering who his mother was. Marianne "the Flash" vi Britannia was a paragon of knights. Her abilities to pilot a Knightmare Frame were second to none. So much so that many had looked up to her despite her common birth.

Therefore it was only natural that Lelouch would inherit his mother's talent for piloting. However, what truly made him stood out was how intelligent he was, especially for his age. Not many ten-years-old could match with some of the world's most renowned chess grandmasters and even be able to beat them. In fact, it was said that only his brother, Prime Minister Schneizel el Britannia, has gone undefeated against Lelouch.

But even underneath his pondering gaze and scheming smirk, laid a kind, innocent child that only his most trusted and beloved family and friends knew about.

Unfortunately, many tales about princes and princessess; of heroes and villains; and good vs evil, all tend to lead to tragedy. And for Lelouch, tragedy struck like a lightning bolt. Quick and loud, leaving nothing but death and destruction behind.

Before we continue, it is of utmost importance to know what events preceded such tragedy in order to understand the path that Lelouch had chosen to follow and what his actions that night led to.

This is the tale of a little prince whose journey to become king was riddled with strife and hardship and yet never did he falter. Because doing so would mean that everything that he had accomplished and everything that he had lost and sacrificed would have been in vain.


	2. The Young Prince

**_The Young Prince_**

Marianne vi Britannia was proud. She has always been proud of her oldest child. Lelouch vi Britannia had inherited his father's intellect as well as charisma. Ever since he was capable of speaking he had commanded an aura of authority.

Before he had turned 6-years-old, Lelouch had already mastered chess and his unlimited curiosity had further developed his intelligence that matched even some of the most talented recent graduates at the Pendragon Royal Academy.

But what Marianne was proudest of was what Lelouch inherited from her. Once he was able to pilot a Knightmare Frame, Lelouch had shown everyone that he had inherited more than his mother's violet eyes and black hair.

His fascination with KMFs in general was so great that he was often spotted inside the Ashford RD facility, overseeing the development of the Ganymede. The world's first full-combat Knightmare.

Lelouch was what one would call a mama's boy. He would always follow Marianne around and took her word for that of the bible. It wasn't until his sister, Nunally, was born that he had started to spent less time with his mother.

Today was one such occasion when Nunally had asked both Euphy and Milly to come over to the Aries Villa to play with her. Lelouch, as the doting brother that he was, had decided to stay behind in order to watch over them. Of course, that also meant that Anya Alstreim, a fellow Knightmare pupil of Marianne, had also chosen to remain in the Aries Villa.

Ever since a year ago when Anya's parents had passed away in an accident, the vi Britannia's had offered to take care of her since Marianne and Anya's parents had known each other before Marianne's marriage to the emperor.

Soon after, Anya had taken a liking to Lelouch and would follow him wherever he went. Whenever a stranger approached the two, Anya would hide herself behind Lelouch's back. It was only natural that once Lelouch had decided to learn to pilot under his mother's tutelage, Anya would also follow him in his lessons. Surprisingly, Anya's talent for piloting rivaled even that of Lelouch's.

Inside the Imperial Palace, Marianne chuckled as she imagined what sort of mischief the inhabitants of the Aries Villa were up to. Many a time had the girls chased after Lelouch and once they caught up to him, they would bind him with hugs. Lelouch would often look at Anya to ask for help with his eyes, only for Anya to angled her head in confusion while giving him a quizzical look.

"You seem to be enjoying something, Lady Marianne." commented Cornelia as she followed Marianne close behind.

"Please, Cornelia, just call me by my name, we are family after all"

Cornelia sighed, it was no secret that she had admired Marianne ever since she was very young. Even know she had asked to become part of her personal guard immediately after graduating from the Pendragon Royal Academy.

Before she could reply to Marianne. A soft, yet powerful voice sounded across the royal hallway.

"Well, if it isn't Marianne, as beautiful as ever. And my dear sister, Cornelia. As imposing and beautiful as well. It's very rare for you two to visit the Imperial Palace."

"No need for empty flattery, Schneizel." responded Cornelia. "We have business with father."

"Hello Schneizel, I'm glad that you look well. Being the Prime Minister at your age must be very taxing on you." Said Marianne with a sparkling smile. "Why don't you and Cornelia catch up while I talk to my dear Charles? It is good for siblings to bond with each other while they have time."

Before Cornelia could utter a word of complain, Marianne had already entered through the doors to the throne room, where her father, Emperor Charles sat waiting.

 **At the Aries Villa**

Lelouch had managed to escape from his sisters' crippling hugs and had ran awa... had retired to his mother's office. He knew no one would disturb him here while he took a nap. As much as he loved the girls, they had too much energy and often times he didn't have the stamina to keep up with them.

To his surprise, after opening the door he didn't find an empty office. Instead, there was an adolescent looking girl, probably no older than 17, resting in his mother's chair, as if it was the most natural thing to do. Her green hair and golden eyes had enchanted Lelouch and taken his breath away.

Hours seemed to pass, but that quiet, peaceful atmosphere only lasted a couple of minutes before the girl began to shift her body. Soon her head lifted up and her sleepy, yet captivating eyes locked with Lelouch's own.

"Ara ara, if it isn't the young prince"

The girl's voice was soft, but there was some sort of strength behind it. Almost as if she had lived many years and had gained so much wisdom that had increased her confidence.

It took a few seconds before Lelouch had recovered himself and began to glare at the stranger with distrust.

"Who are you? How did you get in without the guards knowing?"

"My my, quite the suspicious little boy." laughed the green-haired girl. "I came here to talk to your mother, but it seems like she isn't here."

The girl sighed before hoping up from the chair. She started walking towards Lelouch, causing him to flinch and take a step back. Seeing this, the girl pulled one of the biggest grins he had ever seen on anyone's faces. She quickly passed Lelouch and began exiting through the doors.

"Before I leave, I might as well leave a message for your mother. It might be the last time I see her."

The girl began to chuckle and turned towards Lelouch, who was still confused.

"Tell your mother that C.C. is leaving. I don't believe that your mother is capable of granting my wish anymore and I have no interest in what your parents are scheming together. I'm going to search for someone else who might be able to fulfill their side of the contract."

As she began to turn again, her face changed as if she suddenly had a light-bulb above her head.

"Perhaps in the future you might be able to grant my wish." The girl glanced at Lelouch with a preying eye. "I will look forward to it. I hope you become as every bit worthy of a Geass. Well, I have to go know, I can hear the hound running up the stairs as we speak. See you later, Lelouch"

The mysterious girl finally exited the room. Quickly, Lelouch's senses returned to him and he ran through the doors trying to chase after her, only to see... nothing. The hallways on both sides of the room were empty, devoid of any life.

Soon after, Jeremiah Gottwald appeared around the corner, running frantically towards him.

"Milord, are you alright?" asked a breathless Jeremiah.

"Everything is well. What happened?"

Upon learning of Lelouch's safety, Jeremiah finally caught his breath and proceeded to report to him.

"We found some of our guards passed out near the back entrance. It seemed like someone knocked them out. We have already secured your sisters and the other girls, but we have yet to find the intruder."

Lelouch pondered for a moment. Finally he turned to Jeremiah.

"It's fine Jeremiah, if there was an intruder, they would be long gone by now. Let's return to the girls, we musn't keep them scared too long."

Jeremiah nodded and followed his prince as he returned to the garden.

'It seems like that girl already left. I wont be able to rest until later tonight'

Thought a tired Lelouch as he feared what kind of hell the girls would put him through now.

 **Back at the Imperial Palace**

Cornelia was waiting impatiently outside the throne room. Her conversation with Schneizel had only served to dampen her mood.

She didn't particularly hate him, on the contrary, Schneizel was one of the few siblings she had that she could tolerate and even liked. But his personality clashed with hers a lot. She found it very tiring to deal with him.

Cornelia was beginning to dread what kind of person would Lelouch turn into in the future. He was often compared to as the second Schneizel. Like Euphy, Cornelia rather liked Lelouch quite a bit, but if he turned into anything resembling his brother, she won't know what to think.

Suddenly, a pair of arms surrounded her from behind and quickly closed in on her.

"Nonette... how many times have I told you not to hug me so suddenly." sighed Cornelia.

"Now now, I was just going to say hi normally. But seeing how brooding you looked, I thought this might cheer you up more"

Cornelia sighed one more time before breaking from Nonette's hug. She turned towards her and smiled back.

"Since you are here now, I take it you finished your mission successfully?"

Nonette Enneagram was Cornelia's friend and rival back in the academy. After a few months, she had earned the emperor's attention and soon found herself within his royal guard, as the knight of nine. Truly befitting her name.

"Of course, it was a simple ambush of a EU convoy traveling from Japan to Paris. It was too easy, they barely had any guards, I'm sure you would have returned much sooner than me."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow, this was fourth time this year that the emperor had sent his knights of the round to attack convoys from Japan. If it was simply disrupting the supply of Sakuradite from Japan to Europe, there won't have been any need to send his most elite soldiers.

"What was the convoy carrying? Seeing as how father deemed it necessary to send you."

Nonette pondered for a while with a trouble expression. After glancing at Cornelia for a few seconds, she finally spilled the beans.

"To be honest, I don't really know. I was told by Bismarck that as soon as I got my hands on the cargo I was supposed to turned it in to him. I'm not even sure where the cargo goes to. Either Bismarck or Marianne quickly take the cargo elsewhere."

"Lady Marianne?"

Remarked a surprised Cornelia. Before she could continue questioning her friend. The door opened behind her, revealing Marianne herself.

"Nonette, a pleasure to see you." the empress smiled towards the knight. "It would be best if you report to my husband as soon as possible. You know how he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Yes, milady. I will be on my way." Nonette then faced her friend. "We can catch up later. Have a good day Lia, Lady Marianne."

Nonette bowed to Marianne before disappearing into the throne room.

"Such a good girl. Good people like her are hard to come by. If Lelouch wasn't so adamant about me teaching him I would have asked her to do so." the empress commented before starting to head home.

"She is, although sometimes I worry she is too good for her own well being" responded Cornelia before following after Marianne.

As Nonette entered the throne room, she could hear what seemed to be an argument. She slowly approached the throne, making sure not to make any sound.

"Brother, how many times do I have to tell you? That vixen is only trouble. With her our plan will fail. How can you be so blind?"

A young boy, probably only a few years older than Lelouch, shouted at the giant man whose features only exhumed intimidation.

The 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, barely kept his sight on the boy. His eyes studying every bit of the child's features. After a few seconds, or even minutes, the emperor finally spoke.

"What have you to fear? She truly believes in our ideals. That's why she has always fought for me, that's why she helped me ascend to the throne. She would sooner kill her own children with her own hands than betray our cause."

The boy, seemingly unaffected by the emperors pressuring voice, begins to exit the throne room towards the back, where only the royals are allowed through.

"If you are too blind and unwilling, then I will have to solve this problem with my own hands."

The boy exited without turning back on the emperor as he spoke. A few seconds later, the emperor turned his sight to gaze right at Nonette where she was hiding in the shadows, causing her to flinch a little.

"Come forward Nonette, I don't have all day. What are the news?"

 **That night, at the Aries Villa**

Lelouch was deep in thought. The green-haired girl had remained in his head all night. There was something about her that intrigued him, he just couldn't piece out what. She had said something about a contract with his mother, as well as something about a Geass.

Suddenly, his mind shifts towards one of the few true happy memories that he had. Truth be told, it was the only happy memory he had of his own father.

He had only seen his father once inside the Aries Villa. It was the day Nunally was born. He didn't say much nor did he care for anything other than Marianne. He sat in the room, listening to Marianne stories. His gaze fixed on her eyes, neither looking away from each other. That was the first time Lelouch had ever seen his father smile. A true, happy smile.

Of course, both the emperor and the empress were so caught up on their little lovey-dovey world that they had completely forgotten about him. Feeling lonely, Lelouch had decided to go outside, to the garden. He had loved the garden even before Nunally made it her playground.

The garden of the Aries Villa was home to many exotic plants from all over the world. To him, the garden was sort of a window to the outside. A glimpse to the vast diversity and wealth of the world.

"One day, I will see the entirety of the world with my own eyes. I will grasp the world with my own hands"

The boy stared at the sky, imagining what sorts of wonders awaited him outside Pendragon. Outside Britannia. A gentle breeze caressed Lelouch cheeks and a small, pink petal fell on his forehead.

Lelouch picked up the petal and stared at it intently. His gaze followed where the petal had come from. Towards the center of the garden, there was a beautiful tree, fully bloomed. Its small, pink petals dance around the garden. This was the first time Lelouch had seen the tree in full bloom, as it only bloomed in the spring. The cherry blossom tree was a gift from the Ashfords when they had visited Japan the past summer. They said it was called a Sakura tree. In that moment, the tree had become his favorite thing inside the garden.

A shadow quickly spread above him. Confused, Lelouch turned around... only to be even more confused. Towering above him was none other than Emperor Charles zi Britannia himself. His full attention on Lelouch.

The two stared at each other without any words. One second turned into ten. Ten seconds turned into a minute. And finally, the minute turned into five, ten, fifteen, and thirty minutes. Half an hour had passed an they both still stared at each other.

Lelouch, unable to contain his nerves anymore, was about to turn his head away when the emperor finally moved. Charles walked towards Lelouch and extended his arm. A moment later, and Charles' hand had reached Lelouch's head. He began to pat him.

"Veni. Vidi. Vici..." Charles then turned his head towards the garden. His eyes quickly scanning the flora that decorated it. "Do you know what it means, boy?"

Lelouch nodded. He had learned that phrase in one of the military books inside Schneizel's library.

"I came. I saw. I conquered" responded the boy.

"I meant what it truly means. What you believe it to truly mean."

"..." the boy didn't have an answer. He only understood that it referred to a show of power.

"Earlier you said, that you would see everything there is to see in this world with your own eyes. And with your own hands, your would conquer it."

Lelouch remembered what he had said. And blushed at the thought of being heard when he was saying something so cheesy.

"That's what it truly means." continued Charles without minding the boy's blushing.

"You saw a glimpse of this world through the flowers. A world full of beauty that you have yet to experience. However, as you are now, you can only watch. No matter how many flowers you gather here, in the end it is only a portion of what the world has to offer. You can only dream of beauty."

His gaze turned dark for a moment.

"If you truly wish to experience the beauty of this world. You must take it with your own hands. To do so, you need to grow and become stronger. Only the strong are capable of weathering this world's injustices. Only the strong are worthy of receiving the beauty of this world. Only the strong can shape this world full of vermin and parasites into a garden of true beauty."

Lelouch contemplated what he was just told. This was the first lesson that the emperor, his father, had taught him.

Some time had passed and a servant had come to announce that his mother had given birth to a little girl. Both, Charles and Lelouch rushed towards his mother's room. Before they entered, a woman with green hair came out.

Charles glanced at the woman with indifference and only said one thing before entering the room.

"C.C."

The girl shrugged before turning away. Before she left she had said something to Charles, but what she said was drowned by the sound of screaming.

The sudden scream had pulled back Lelouch to the present. Another scream soon followed, causing Lelouch to rush towards its origin. Lelouch had finally reached the main stairs. The first thing he saw was Anya at the very top, trembling as her eyes were fixed downstairs. Lelouch followed her gaze and what he saw would plague his dreams ever since.

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Hello everyone. This is my first fanfic work so there might be a lot of mistakes/vague descriptions right now. Hopefully the more I write the better I become. That's how it works, right?_

 _I love Code Geass lore and characters so that's why I'm starting with this. Also, the movie is coming out soon!_

 _I'm open to suggestions/constructive criticism and will revise older chapters to improve the storytelling and/or story._


	3. Promise of Strength

**_Promise of Strength_**

Lelouch vi Britannia stood frozen. Neither his body nor his mind was working properly. The only thing that the young prince could do was stare in disbelieve. Downstairs in front of him, laid two bodies. Two bodies who belonged to the two people he loved more than anybody in this world. Lelouch vi Britannia stood frozen as he witnessed the dying moments of his mother and sister.

Time went by slowly. Each second lasted an eternity, yet neither the pink haired girl nor the prodigy boy moved.

The girl had been present when the shooting occurred. She was accompanying Nunally as she was greeting Marianne back from her visit to the Imperial Palace. Although she had been living with them for a year now, Anya still hesitated in partaking in the emotional reunion between mother and daughter. And so she remained upstairs, watching the heartwarming scene unfold before her with a unnoticeable smile. That smile soon turned upside down and her face contorted in horror as the windows broke and bullets penetrated the unsuspecting victims.

The two victims screamed loudly but their voices were silenced by the unforgiving barrage of bullets. After a minute, the bullets finally stopped. A small shadow disappeared from outside the window, leaving Anya alone with the two bodies. Unable to process the event that had occurred right in front of her eyes, Anya kept still atop the stairs. Suddenly, she could see the entangled bodies twitch. Her eyes fixed one more time at what used to be a caring mother and her innocent child. To Anya's surprised, Marianne vi Britannia was staring right back at her. It seemed like she was saying something, but the bullets had deafened Anya's ears. Anya wasn't sure of what to do. Should she run around the house looking for help or should she run downstairs and try to help them herself? Before she could decide however, Marianne's eyes glowed red, and her vision quickly faded, but not before she screamed out of panic.

Lelouch stared at the scene. However, he no longer was paralyzed. His body stayed still while his eyes darted around the room trying to gather clues as to what had happened. He knew he couldn't rely on Anya, as she was trembling and it even seemed like she had lost consciousness while standing. Thanks to the broken pieces of the window and the holes in the stairs next to the bodies, Lelouch deduced what had happened. However, there was something that bothered him. As his eyes moved from corner to corner, and even outside the windows, Lelouch failed to see something. Specifically, someone. There were no other people, not even bodies other than his family and Anya. But how could that be? Aries Villa was home to Empress Marianne vi Britannia. The palace was always swarming with guards, especially at night. And even if there were a shortage of guards in the palace, Marianne should have had royal guards following her everywhere. But there were none.

From below Marianne's body, a small arm could be seen moving. Lelouch, without missing a beat, rushed towards the arm. Upon holding the hand, he realized that there was still a beating heart. His mind completely shifted gears from trying to gather clues to trying to find a way to keep his sister alive. Unfortunately, Lelouch had only studied military strategy and history, leaving him with a lack of knowledge in medicine and first aid. Lelouch cursed himself for his uselessness and shortsightedness.

Not long after he started berating himself did a miracle present itself. Anya had finally moved, and with a clear and commanding tone ordered Lelouch to fetch the first aid kit. Without thinking twice about Anya's sudden shift in personality, Lelouch quickly complied. Lelouch had failed to notice the red glow outlined in Anya's eyes. After he returned, Anya had asked him to call the ambulance as well as the guards while she tended to Nunally's wound.

After calling for help, Lelouch returned to the stairs. Anya had moved Nunally's body to the bottom of the stairs so that she could lay flat. It seemed like she was able to clean Nunally's wounds and was now bandaging her. Since Marianne had been between Nunally and the bullets, Nunally hadn't been shot anywhere vital. Lelouch decided to leave Nunally to Anya and moved towards his mother. As he stared at the corpse, Lelouch emotions began to agitate inside him. Now that the danger had passed and Lelouch senses began returning to him, he could no longer contain his tears.

Lelouch wept as he laid besides Marianne's body. A sudden flash of memories flooded his mind. Lelouch vi Britannia had always admired his mother, even more so than Cornelia ever did. He had admired her strong will and incomparable talent. However, what he admired most was her hard work. As talented as she was, Marianne was still human. There were many things that she wasn't capable of, especially given her common birth, but Lelouch had watched her everyday and saw her struggled, yet Marianne remained undeterred. To anyone outside the Aries Villa, Marianne might had been the perfect woman, carrying a dignified aura and devoid of weakness, but to any of the inhabitants to the Aries Villa, she was the exemplar role model.

Anya Alstreim, or Marianne as she was now, had finished treating Nunally. Her wounds were small and her life was no longer in danger, but Marianne feared that Nunally's damage might be more than just physical. A faint groan caused Marianne to lift her head up. In the middle of the stairs a little boy could be seen, his body glued to that of her previous self. That was the first time she had seen the boy cry. Ever since he was a little baby, Lelouch had always acted different from his age. She had always worried that his youth would come and go and he would not be able to experience the things that could only be experienced as a child. Marianne smiled. Although the circumstances were tragic, she was happy to see that Lelouch could behave just like any other kid his age. Marianne remained watching her son until he finally cried himself to sleep. Finally, the red glow around Anya's eyes disappeared, and Anya fell asleep next to Nunally.

 **One week later, inside the Imperial Palace**

Emperor Charles zi Britannia sat in his throne. His gaze fixed on the little girl in front of him. Charles had dismissed the court earlier so that he could speak with her privately. He had ordered his strongest and most loyal knight, Bismarck Waldstein, to keep watch outside and ensured that they weren't interrupted. Charles continued to stare at the girl. His eyes studying every feature and every manner.

"It seems my brother has caused you some troubled."

Charles finally spoke. His voice was quick and plain, but there was a faint hint of irritation in his face.

"He might be as old as me, and immortal too. But V.V. still behaves like the child that he looks like."

Anya, her eyes glowing red once again, silently listened to the emperor complain. After all these years, she knew better than to interrupt while Charles brooded. After a few more minutes, Charles sighed. That was her cue.

"Now Charles. We both knew that V.V. would do something like that soon. Ever since I met you he has always been opposed to me."

Charles closed his eyes, his mind recalling the memories that he made with Marianne. Every second, every moment they had spent together ever since they met when she was in the academy. Marianne's voice brought him back.

"We can't fixed what has been done now, but we need to continued our plans. We no longer have much time. The Ragnarök Connection must be completed soon."

Marianne had been aware of Charles and his brother's plan ever since they met. She truly believed in the world that Charles was seeking to create and had pledged herself to help him.

"We still only possess two of the elevators... V.V. has been sending his Geass Directorate in search of the remaining ones, but so far they have only uncovered the ones in Japan and and the Middle East."

Both Charles and Marianne knew about the Thought Elevators. Ancient structures that were capable of accessing an individual's thoughts and memories. However, there was much about the structures that they still din't understand. What they did know however, was what V.V. had learned through the Sword of Akasha. By connecting all the thought elevators in the world and using two Codes, they would be able to influence the collective subconscious of humans.

However, there were a few problems. Charles had grown too old now. His strength hasn't been the same and he is no longer capable of ruling the empire like he used to. That's why he had made Prince Schneizel the Prime Minister at such a young age. Another problem was already mentioned. They still only knew about half of the locations of the Thought Elevators, and only owned half of that. Without all of them, they wouldn't be able to spread the influence across the world. But perhaps the biggest threat to their plan is something that had only surfaced recently. Someone within the EU had discovered the existence of the elevators and were actively trying to obtain them. So far, it seems they only know about the one in Japan, but if they were any within the EU, they might already have controlled them.

The couple remained silent. Pondering about how they should proceed. Charles, upon realizing something, asks.

"Where's C.C.?"

Marianne closes her eyes as she thinks. After a couple seconds she responds.

"I don't know, she was gone that night, and I haven't seen her or been contacted by her since. She might have left Britannia."

A vein clearly popped on Charles' forehead. He and C.C. never really got along well, but he was willing to put up with her for the sake of his plan. But now she was becoming more trouble than she was worth.

"We will send some of the Order to look for her, we still need her as she is the only other individual with a Code that we know about."

Marianne nodded. She really liked C.C. And enjoyed spending time with her. This is also partly why she had recently began to hesitate about fulfilling C.C.'s wishes. Marianne suddenly collapse onto the floor. Her head aching with pain. Before Charles could react though, Marianne had picked herself up.

"It seems the transfer was imperfect... transferring to a incompatible body combined with the fact that I had to rush the transfer seems to have led to some difficulties. I'm not able to stay in control of Anya's body for a long time before she regains control."

Charles understood the limitations of Marianne's Geass. That's why they had decided to have children together, as her chances of successfully transferring her spirit increased the more the two individuals had in common.

"It seems like the little girl is no longer of use for you, but they boy should still suffice."

Marianne stayed silent. They had originally planned to use Lelouch and Nunally as back ups for Marianne in case anything ever happened to her. That's why Charles was so pleased to learn that Lelouch had inherited Marianne's abilities. But sometime she had begun to truly care for her children and had quickly forgotten about the original reason why they were born.

"I think it is better if we let Lelouch continue to grow. As he is now he isn't much better than Anya. He can still be useful for our cause. Who knows, in a few years he might even join us."

Charles pondered for a moment. In the end he finally decided to comply with Marianne, there wasn't much that he could out argue against her.

"Very well, we can still let him grow stronger. I will send someone to stop the investigation of your death. We won't want anyone finding out about V.V.. Also, once the little girl wakes up, send her to me, she might have seen him that night."

Marianne bowed as she began to walk away to the exit.

 **At the same time, at the Pendragon Cemetery**

It was Marianne's funeral. Rain had begun to trickle down sometime earlier. Around Marianne's casket stood very few people. Although she was the most favored empress and was idolized by the general population, Marianne had many enemies. Even if they didn't openly show it, many times Lelouch had noticed the contempt that many nobles in the court held when watching his mother stand besides the emperor. And so, on the day of her funeral, the ceremony was small and the mourners even smaller. Lelouch glanced around him. The people here were some of the individuals who truly cared for Marianne. He would do well to remember them.

Among the many royals, very few attended. Not surprising as many of their mothers despised Marianne because of her origins as well as how close she was to the emperor. Present were only the royals had visited the Aries Villa often. Euphemia and Cornelia were of course the first ones to arrive. They practically lived at the Aries Villa since they spent most of their time there. They both always took care of Nunally and Marianne, and Lelouch would always love them for that.

Then there was Schneizel. Although he didn't openly express it, Schneizel was actually Lelouch's favorite brother. Among everyone else, Lelouch could find himself listening to everything that he said. He was the one that he had the most in common with and, of course, it was also Schneizel who taught him how to play chess. Behind Schneizel was his loyal friend, Kanon. Truth be told, Lelouch didn't really know much about him.

Next to Schneizel stood the third prince, Clovis. Lelouch didn't particularly liked or hated him. Clovis used to be a regular visitor of the Aries Villa and would spend all day long in the garden painting. Lelouch would rather listen to Clovis talk about his paintings rather than others like Carine ne Britannia.

Speaking of which, Carine was also present. Carine was another admirer of Marianne and would often come to visit her, even against the wishes of her own mother. Lelouch didn't particular have anything against her, but Carine was sort of special. Even though she is the same age as Nunally, Carine was more interested in violence and fighting rather than the more feminine activities. She was a more brutal Cornelia, per say.

The last royal was Odysseus eu Britannia, the Crown Prince. Unlike the others present, Lelouch had hardly ever talked to him. If their age didn't separate them, it was Odysseus title that did. He was often away in Ballroom dances and court gatherings in Pendragon and other areas that he was hardly ever near Lelouch. Odysseus had a gentle and passive personality.

Other than the royal family, Marianne vi Britannia had very few friends. In fact, she had so few that only three of them attended her funeral. Ruben Ashford and Milly Ashford were the only two people outsider her family that she could truly call friends. Ruben had supported Marianne ever since she entered the political scene, and in return Marianne had protected the Ashford's industries. It was a give and take relationship but one could tell that both Ruben and Marianne cared for each other. Milly on the other hand, was always hanging around Nunally and him. She was very tomboyish and loved to prank others, but thanks to her playful nature, Nunally would always be smiling when she was around. Among everyone present, Milly was the one crying the most. Lelouch was truly grateful for Milly's presence in their lives.

Nonette Enneagram was Marianne's other friend who had attended the funeral. They were both fellow Knights of the Round, but like Cornelia, Nonette had admired Marianne and even learned from her once in a while. Nonette also spend some time with Nunally and himself. A lot of what he learned was thanks to Nonette as she shared the knowledge that she had gained from the Royal Academy.

Finally, there was Jeremiah Gottwald. The loyal guard stood away from everyone else, still fulfilling his duties. That night Jeremiah had cursed himself as he had failed to protect the woman whom he respected the most. Many blamed Jeremiah for Marianne's death but Cornelia had defended him adamantly.

Only Euphy and Milly had cried. Schneizel as usual kept a poker face while both Clovis and Odysseus held their tears in. Ruben had sobbed a bit but composed himself when Milly had clung onto him when she started crying. Both Cornelia and Carine held pondering gazes, no doubt recalling the days they had spent with Marianne. Jeremiah was too far to see his expression but Lelouch already had a guess to what it might have looked liked. Nonette, however, acted strangely. She held a face that seemed like she was worrying about something and once in a while she would turn from the casket to look at Lelouch. Lelouch noted her actions to be suspicious but in the end just shrugged it off as Nonette probably was worried more about what would happen to Nunally and himself after the funeral.

Once Lelouch finished remembering the faces of everyone present, his gaze once again fell on the casket. Unlike a week ago, Lelouch didn't cry. Either he cried so much that there were no longer any tears in his eyes, or he had steeled himself so as to not look weak in front of everyone. Either way, Lelouch only stood with a blank face as he watched the casket being lowered. To Lelouch, Marianne was more than just a loving mother. She was a mentor and the role model that he chased after. Lelouch always believed that his mother would accomplish so many things like the legends of children's tales. Tales such as those of King Arthur. In the end, Marianne's story was cut short, with no happy ending.

The casket had finally been lowered, and the grave-keepers had begun piling dirt on top of it. Not a second after the grave-keeper had finished, Kanon whispered something to Schneizel. Schneizel listened with a calm pose, but after Kanon had finished whispering, Schneizel turned to Lelouch, his face containing a slight frown.

"Lelouch, there were news from the palace... Our father, Emperor Charles, has called off the investigation of your mother's murder."

Lelouch face was unchanged, but if one zoomed in on the prince, they would be able to see his teeth grind slightly and his hands clench hard causing some blood to come out.

 **At night, inside the Imperial Palace**

Lelouch was kneeling. In front of him sat his father, Emperor Charles, his expression not too pleased with Lelouch's presence. After receiving the news from Schneizel, Lelouch had demanded an audience with the Emperor. Everyone had been against the idea, understanding the consequences should Lelouch displease, or even worse, infuriate the emperor himself. But Lelouch was as stubborn as you could expect from the son of the Emperor himself. In the end, Schneizel had complied with Lelouch requests and the Emperor, humoring both his sons, had accepted the audience.

"Leave us." The Emperor ordered.

Many from the court were present, from high ranking nobility to other royalty, no doubt wanting to see Lelouch incur Charles' wrath. The Emperor shifted his sight from Lelouch to the rest of the room. The courtiers, knowing better than to make the Emperor repeat himself, started exiting the room one by one. Schneizel was the last one to leave, before doing so, he took a quick glance at Lelouch. His expression was filled with worry. Finally, the room was empty. Only the figures of the large man sitting on the throne and the little boy could be seen. There was, however, one more person in the room, his small figure hidden within the shadows of the pillars. Charles had noticed his brother's presence but had chosen to ignore it, instead he focused his entire attention on the boy in front of him.

"Speak, boy."

"Hail, your majesty." Lelouch bowed his head before lifting his head towards the Charles. "I have come to ask your majesty to resume the investigation of my mother's assassination."

"Denied." Charles' voice was loud and firm, with no room for argument. "Is that all? You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia to ask for such childish request? How boring, you are dismissed."

The Emperor simply waved his hand at Lelouch. Immediately after he stood from his throne and began walking slowly towards the side entrance, completely disregarding Lelouch who continued to kneel.

"Childish request? How can you say that? My mother, your lover, was murdered inside her own home! If the Emperor of Britannia is the most powerful person in the world, then how come you couldn't protect her? How can you allow her murderers to remain free and not punish them?"

Lelouch had finally stood up and was now glaring at his father. His shouting still resonating through the entire room. Charles had stopped walking, but his back remained facing Lelouch.

"She was weak. I have no use for weaklings."

"Wh...what?"

"Your mother was weak. She led herself be killed and so she is no longer of use to me." Charles finally turned back to Lelouch. "And you are weak too. You were there and still your mother died. This world is not kind towards the weak. There is not such thing as equality, only the strong can progress into the future. There is no place in Britannia for the weak."

Lelouch was stupefied. His mind trying to comprehend what his father had just said. If the world truly was so cruel then why did it let weak people be born to begin with? Was it just so that they could become stepping stones for the strong? What about his sister, Nunally? She had lost her legs but she still lived. She might have been weak, but also wasn't she strong enough to live? Would the world continue to go after her until she died? Lelouch refused to accept such logic. Suddenly, Lelouch had begun to recall that day when Charles had spoken to him in the garden of the Aries Villa. He had said that only the strong were able to shape the world into a thing of beauty. Lelouch knew what he had to do now.

"I will become strong. I will become strong enough so that no one can defy me. I will proof your world wrong. I will create a world where the strong protect the weak, where even Nunally can survive and live happily. If there is no place in Britannia for the weak, then I will just have to create it myself!"

Lelouch eyes burned with determination, his gaze penetrating Charles' own, not willing to turn or back down. Charles simply remained still. His expression hid his thoughts. Neither the father who had cruelly tossed the weak aside nor the boy who had challenged his father's world made an attempt to move. In the end, it was Charles who broke the silence that had crept in the throne room.

"Then become strong and continue to struggle and evolve. Will you proof me wrong or will you fail and die?"

With those last words, Charles once again walked away, leaving Lelouch alone in the room. There was nothing more to say to each other. Now it was up to Lelouch to decide what he would do from now on. Would he continue to follow his father's script or would he be able to write his own world, his own future, his own tale?

In the shadows, V.V. remained focused on Lelouch, his expression clearly irritated at the boy's open challenge towards his brother. Like his mother, the boy would become a thorn in his plans. He could not let the boy act freely.

Lelouch had finally left the throne room and was now walking through the hallways of the Imperial Palace. There were cery few people around, mostly some guards who were patrolling. Lelouch would meet Jeremiah at the front entrance and together they would return to the Aries Villa. It had been a long day and Lelouch wanted to see his sister's face as soon as possible. He had heard that she had recovered earlier today and was waiting for him to return home. Before he could turn the corner that lead to the front entrance, a hand pulled Lelouch shoulders. Lelouch turned around to find...

"Nonette?"

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Thanks everyone who fav/followed the story so far. I will be responding to the reviews from previous chapters at the end of every new chapter here in the Author's Notes._

 _Yes, in this AU Lelouch remains in Britannia. Next chapter there will be a time skip of a few years. Lelouch will be attending the Royal Academy and there he will develop his relationships with other Britannian characters, some of which will include Clara, Rolo, Marrybell, Carine, and in the first chapter it might have seemed like I was just going for the whole "Evil Marianne", reality is that the series never really developed her character well. The few moments that are shown/described with her children, it made it seemed like she genuinely cared for them. Honestly, I believe that because she had spent so much time away from them after her "death" she had begun losing the love that she had for her children. Hopefully in this story, I'm able to develop her character further through interaction between her and others, whether directly or indirectly._

 _Initially, I made Lelouch character seemed to be unnaturally smart because I wanted Lelouch to have a bigger impact right off the bat, but now I figure that it is better to develop his intellect as he continues to experience different challenges. I will be editing the first chapter to reflect this change._

 _After this chapter there won't be any canon events, except for the whole Ragnarok Connection plot. Lelouch will eventually travel to Japan but none of the events like the Shinjuku Incident or the Lake Kawaguchi will occur._

 _Finally, for Lelouch's pairing, I'm probably not going to do a harem since it is very unrealistic and hard to pull off. Also, who ever ends up with Lelouch will obviously play an important part in the story and having multiple heroines would reduce the impact of their involvement. As for who might end up with Lelouch I'm quite unsure still. So far C.C. is in the lead but she won't appear until after a few chapters from now. Although Lelouch loves his sisters (Euphy, Nunally), it's more familial love than romantic._


	4. Opening

**_Opening_**

 **5 years after Marianne's death, inside the Aries Villa**

"Check"

Inside one of the private offices of the Aries Villa, two figures could be seen facing each other. A wooden chess board separated the two half-brothers. Schneizel broke the silence that had lasted ever since their game began when he had moved his white bishop to threaten Lelouch's king. Of course Lelouch had anticipated the attack and simply moved his own bishop between his king and Schneizel's bishop.

The sight of the two princes playing quietly in what used to be Marianne's private office became a common sight many years ago. Schneizel had visited the two vi Britannia siblings often after their mother's death. Not out of pity or duty, but simply because he enjoyed the moment of respite from his duties as the Prime Minister. Schneizel had found a kindred spirit in Lelouch and the two often talked about politics while they played. In the five years since Marianne's death, Lelouch had matured to the point that many questioned whether the adolescent boy was truly only fifteen. His insight, in particular, was quite sharp.

"I have heard that the Ashfords have finally settled in Area Eleven. Their Ashford Academy has become quite renowned even here in the homeland." commented Schneizel as he pulled his bishop away.

After Marianne passed away, the Ashfords found themselves out of favor and luck. Their only ally in the court was gone and many saw an opportunity to get rid of the family that helped a commoner rise to power. Just half a year had passed and the Ashfords were on the brink of bankruptcy. Fortunately for them, Lelouch had used some of his connections (mostly Schneizel and Clovis) to maintain the Ashford's wealth and nobility.

Through Schneizel, the Ashfords were able to sell their KMF research laboratory to the Britannian military. The entire facility along with its staff became known as Camelot and had begun work on the 4th generation of Knightmare Frames. In just a mere six months, Camelot was able to release the first ever mass-producible Knightmare, the Glasgow. Immediately after, the Emperor had declared war on Japan. The Glasgow's performance exceeded everyone's expectations and, after three weeks, had single handily pushed the Japanese all the way to their ancestral capital of Kyoto.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Genbu Kururugi, had ordered a last stance resistance outside the city of Kyoto. But before the rest of the army could regroup, a small team of soldiers known as Pluton had infiltrate the city and assassinated the prime minister and his family. However, it was said that the son of the minister had managed to escape the agents of Pluton and his whereabouts had become unknown ever since.

After the death of the prime minister, the remaining survivors of the Japanese government had issued a declaration of surrender. Unfortunately, there was still a sizeable amount of survivors of the army who had gone underground. Even now, four years later, Area Eleven was a hotbed of terrorist activities. At least three times as much as all the other areas combined.

Of course, it didn't help that Clovis had somehow convinced the Emperor to grant him Viceroyship of the newly established Area Eleven. Both Lelouch and Schneizel knew their half-brother too well, as he was much more suited for the arts than politics and the military. What should have been a simple and quick extermination of the terrorist activities in the Area, became a four year stalemate between the two forces, neither seeming to gain enough ground over the other side.

Alas, it was thanks to Clovis' new found position as the Viceroy of Area Eleven that had allowed the Ashfords to seek refuge away from the capital. Milly's parents, Edward and Emily Ashford, were against moving to Area Eleven, believing that their place was in the court of Pendragon. Ruben had given up trying to convince the two and so he only took Milly to Area Eleven. The Ashford couple believed Marianne and her family to be the cause of the Ashford's misfortunes in court and had become rather disdainful of Lelouch. Fortunately for him, the little support they had in court had forced the two to accept Lelouch's patronage, as he still was a member of the royal family.

"The Ashfords have served my family well for many years, even now, Ruben had convinced his long time collaborator, Rupert Einstein, to remain in the Ashford Foundation instead of transfering to the Camelot Engineer Corps. I'm glad to hear that Ruben is doing well in Area Eleven, despite the Area's unnaturally high terrorist activities."

Recently, Ruben had realized his long awaited wish: to open an Academy under his family name. Before he left for Japan, Ruben had transfered a small portion of the Ashford Foundation to Lelouch for his own personal use. This small group was led by none other than the co-creator of the Ganymede.

"Speaking of which, I have heard that Camelot has started to work on a prototype for a seventh generation knightmare."

Lelouch commented as he moved his knight foward to threaten Schneizel's bishop.

"Something along the lines that its prototype will serve as the basis for a new line of Knightmares created solely to be used by the Knights of the Rounds."

Schneizel raised an eyebrow, wondering how Lelouch obtained that information. It wasn't long ago since Schneizel was visited by an Earl named Lloyd Asplund. Although he was quite eccentric, his brilliant mind and initial designs where more than enough to convince Schneizel to fund his project. After pulling his bishop back to the second row, Schneizel responded.

"Although the Gloucester became the empire's elite Knightmare, our father, Emperor Charles, wanted a new line of Frames that would enhance each of his knight's abilities in combat. Lord Asplund just happened to come to me soon after."

In the last five years, Charles had increased the number of his Knights of the Round. There were rumors that Charles was still looking to add a few more Knights. Currently, there were eight of them, all which where great soldiers and even more impressive Knightmare pilots.

The Knight of One is none other than Bismarck Waldstein, Charles' longest serving and most loyal knight. He is the empire's strongest knightmare pilot, only equalled in ability by Marianne herself. He currently is the de facto leader of the Knights of the Round.

Second in command is the Knight of Two, Beatrice Franks. She is in charge of the Emperor's defenses and although she didn't pilot a Knightmare often, she is a extremely capable Knightmare Pilot, so much so that even Nonette feared her.

The Knight of Three is Olivia Zevon. To be honest, Lelouch didn't know much about her, other than the fact that in her noble family, only females inherited the title and that their family was in charge of Pluton ever since Charles came to power.

Dorothea Ernst, the Knight of Four, is one of the few knights that Lelouch often saw around as she would often train together with Nonette. From what he had seen, he deduced that she is very straight forward and earnest. One of the few knights that had a kind aura surrounding her. However, her calm and composed demeanor was no more than another side of her as she became a beast whenever she would pilot a Knightmare, often forgetting that she was supposed to be just training.

The Knights of Five and Six were vacant. Michele Manfredi used to be the Knight of Five but he had recently become a commander within Euro Britannia, a suzerain of the Holy Roman Empire tasked with the conquest of all Europe. So far they were succesful in taking over most of Eastern Europe. The Knight of Six used to be Lelouch's own mother, Marianne. After her death, the Emperor hadn't placed anyone in her seat.

The Knight of Seven is an old man named Richard Vernier who was one of the first to become an Knight of the Round under Charles. It was said that he was also a Knight of the previous Emperor and had supported Charles' ascension to the throne from the very beginning. His piloting skills are somewhat average compared to the other Knights, but his close combat abilities is the best among them, even at his age.

Heinrich van Wagoner, the Knight of Eight, is a middle-aged man who was known as the Massacre Knight. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Britannian Military when Charles had announced his plan to conquer the world. Since then he had proved to be a capable and cold-blooded warrior in the battlefield and took no prisoners if they ever stood up against Britannia.

Obviously, Nonette Enneagram, the Knight of Nine, didn't need any introduction. She was the newest member of the Knights prior to Luciano Bradley's arrival. Her skills with the Knightmare as well as her fierce attitude had earned her a spot among the Emperor's best at such a young age. Ever since that night after Lelouch audience with Emperor Charles, Nonette had becomed someone who Lelouch could trust in.

Finally, the aforementioned Luciano is the newest member of the Knights and the one known as the Knight of Ten. As soon as he became a Knight of the Round, Luciano had begun the establishment of his Valkyrie Squad. A group of elite female soldiers who he considers to be his harem. So far there were none.

Following the retreat of his brother's bishop, Lelouch had moved his black king forward. This single move might seem somewhat pointless and even detrimental to the average player, but Schneizel knew better.

Ever since Marianne's death, Lelouch had begun the habit of moving his king forward when he was beginning his counterattack. Schneizel had once asked Lelouch why he would do so and his brother's response had surprised him. 'If the king doesn't lead, then his subjects won't follow.' Adding to Schneizel surprise was the fact that it became much harder to defeat Lelouch in chess. Although Schneizel had never lost to his younger brother, it has been two years since Schneizel's last win against Lelouch, each game ending in a stalemate or draw.

And so another hour had passed, each side pushing the other, neither giving up any tempo. In the end, both brothers had found themselves cornered by the other. Whoever tried to breakthrough the opponent's defenses first would most certainly meet a crushing defeat. Upon finding themselves in a zugzwang, both princes decided to call it a draw.

"Another draw. Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer, it wouldn't be fitting of royalty to be late for classes." Schneizel then stood up for his chair and began walking towards Kanon, who had patiently waited by the entrance holding Schneizel's white frock coat. "It's about time I returned to my duties as well. We might not be officially be at war with the E.U., but everyday is a battle in politics. I only wished our father would stop diverting military troops elsewhere and focus on the larger threats."

After voicing his complain, Schneizel had finally retired from the room, followed by Kanon who bowed to Lelouch before exiting.

Lelouch began thinking about what his brother had said. Anyone that payed any attention to the events outside Britannia would know that currently the E.U. was becoming the biggest threat to Charles' conquest of the world. In the last five years the E.U. had begun producing Knightmares of their own, apparently led my some genius child. Not only that, their size was comparable to Britannia itself and their military just as equally strong. It was only the constant invasions of the Knight Orders of Euro Britannia that kept them from launching any hostile attacks on the Holy Britannian Empire.

Despite the growing influence of the E.U., Charles had decided conquer other smaller territories first. But unlike Japan, many of the Areas that Charles had ordered his soldiers to capture held little military advantage or resources. His most recent target, the Republic of Congo, was so far away from the front lines to make an efficient military base and too devoid of any natural resources that it simply didn't seem make any sense as to why the Emperor had ordered its capture.

However, unlike his brother, Lelouch had some idea as to why Charles wanted the territory. Lelouch closed his eyes as he recalled the night of his mother's funeral, of his audience with the Emperor, and of his meeting with Nonette, who gave him first clues of his mother's death.

 _"Nonette?"_

 _The young prince was surprised to see the Knight of Nine and more so as she had forcefully grabbed Lelouch._

 _"There's something I need to tell you." Nonette's expression was dark, her eyes watching the surrounding before turning back to Lelouch. "It is better if we talk somewhere else, perhaps inside the Aries Villa. There are too many eyes and ears inside the palace."_

 _Lelouch could only nod, understanding that if Nonette was being so cautious, then she must know something that someone inside the palace didn't want him to know._

 _Lelouch had returned to the Aries Villa followed by a skeptical Jeremiah who glanced at Nonette every so often, making sure that she wouldn't pull some outrageous stunt._

 _Upon entering the villa, the sight that they found inside had shocked both Lelouch and Nonette. Lelouch was already aware that Nunally had lost the ability to walk, so the sight of his little sister seating on the wheelchair hadn't surprised him. What bothered Lelouch, was the fact that Nunally had her eyes shut closed, almost as if she couldn't see anything. As far as Lelouch knew, only her legs were affected in the attack._

 _On the other hand, what had caught Nonette offguard wasn't the blind girl on the wheelchair, but the woman who was holding said wheelchair. Behind Nunally stood a lady with short brown hair and blue eyes hidden behind triangular glasses. Nonette had often seen the woman near Emperor Charles and inside the Pendragon's Military Base._

 _"Welcome back Prince Lelouch. My name is Alicia Lohmeyer. I was tasked by the Emperor himself to look after your sister, Nunally." The lady introduced herself as she bowed curtsy._

 _'Dammit.' Nonette understood the true purpose of Alicia and had berated herself for thinking that the Aries Villa would be safe from the Emperor's influences._

 _Lelouch paid little attention to the woman who had introduced herself and instead kept his eyes focused on Nunally, who upon hearing her brother's name lifted her head to face them and smiled brightly._

 _"Welcome back, brother"_

 _Upon hearing Nunally's voice, Lelouch finally returned to his senses. Suddenly, Lelouch had rushed to where Nunally was and quickly hugged her, causing Nunally to blush as she returned her brother's firm yet gentle hug._

 _"Your eyes... what happened? The doctors told me that you only suffered injuries to your legs. Why can't you see?"_

 _Lelouch had quickly begun questioning his sister, his mind trying to process the state of his sister. Before Nunally could answer, Alicia's voice answered the prince._

 _"It seems like the attack not only scarred Nunally physically but also mentally. Nunally is both unable to use her eyes or remember the events of that night."_

 _The revelation had stunned Lelouch. Not only was he unable to obtain clues from his sister, but now Nunally was crippled beyond help. Surely now in their father's eyes Nunally had become no more than a nuisance. A weak, flail girl who had just become useless as a political chip. Lelouch knew that the Emperor wouldn't do anything for her and so Lelouch promised himself one more time that he wouldn't allow anything to happen to Nunally again._

 _None of the people present made an attempt to move nor did they allowed themselves to make any sound other than their quiet breathing as Lelouch maintained his arms around his sister. Nunally alone saw and felt the trembling body of his older brother, another sign of how much Lelouch truly loved her. Even though she was crippled and couldn't see, being able to feel her brother's warm and his feelings for her made her smile even moreso. Lelouch, noticing Nunally's gentle expression, finally was unable to hold the tears that he had believed had dried up, tears that he promised he wouldn't longer ever make._

 _The sight of Lelouch crying upon Nunally's body that night was the last time anyone saw any weakness inside the black prince, as he promised himself that one day he would make a reality in which Nunally and himself could lived forever happily, without any worries or fear. That night was the beginning of the Black King's counterattack. The night that Lelouch finally decided to move forward, confronting the cruel world that had harmed his sister and taken his mother away._

 _Lelouch finally parted from Nunally, who, surrounded by her brother's warm body, had fallen asleep sometime ago._

 _"Please take care of her, I have some business to finish tonight."_

 _After addressing Alicia, Lelouch signaled Nonette to follow him. Nonette nodded and took one last glance at Alicia before taking off. Jeremiah decided to trust Nonette with the prince and instead chose to stay with Nunally and the stranger._

 _Alicia's eyes remained fixed on the prince until he was out of side. With the guard keeping watch over her, Alicia thought it prudent to just return to Nunally's room for now._

 _Lelouch had taken Nonette to the garden. It's wide open space in the middle of the villa meant that if someone tried to spy on them they could quickly notice them. Lelouch walked until he reached the sakura tree, the very center of the garden. After ensuring that no one else was around, Lelouch finally turned to Nonette._

 _"Well, what is it that you needed to tell me?"_

 _It was a long day for Lelouch, and the sooner it was over, the better. He hoped that whatever Nonette wanted to tell him would be worthwhile. As Lelouch listened to Nonette, he quickly found himself unable to maintain his calm demeanor, as what he had learned from her raised even more questions than what it answered._

 _At first Lelouch believed that it was a member of the royal family or another noble family that had orchestrated Marianne's assassination. After all, there was no way that some terrorists were capable of not only entering the city of Pendragon but also infiltrating the Aries Villa. Another point was how there weren't any guards around. Lelouch had talked with Cornelia, who was the captain of Marianne's guard. To his surprise, Cornelia had told him that it was Marianne herself that ordered the guards to leave her alone for the night. If the murderers were the ones who had asked Marianne to dismiss the guard then only some powerful family could have convinced her to do so. Their motivation for killing his mother could have been either her closeness to the Emperor or the incredible success of the Ashford Foundation._

 _But from what Nonette had told him, it was even worse than that. Apparently Marianne and some other members of the Knights of the Round were performing secret missions for the Emperor. Their objectives often dealt with technology and infrastructure from an ancient civilization. Nonette wasn't sure what they truly were but the Emperor had sent them all over the world, including most recently Japan, to gather materials and information from these ruins. Only Bismarck and Marianne had any knowledge of what they truly were dealing with._

 _Just as shockingly, Nonette had revealed the existence of a brother of Charles as well as the conversation between the two. At first Lelouch was dubious of the information that Nonette was telling him, but he had chosen to trust her words since not only was she a trusted friend of his mother, but Nonette's expression and tone seemed genuine unlike the snakes in the royal court._

 _Lelouch couldn't recall any surviving brothers of Charles and even moreso a brother who might be a few years older than himself, for both his grandparents had passed long before Odysseus, the first child of Charles, was born._

 _Nonette bowed respectfully as she began walking away, leaving Lelouch to his thoughts. They both had agreed to keep this secret between the two of them until they could gather more information and proof. After all, it was only once that Nonette had encountered this uncle of Lelouch._

Lelouch opened his eyes. It had been a while since he last dreamt about the past. He hated to be reminded of times gone by, when he was happier and his family still alive and well. He hated thinking about the past because one couldn't only ever remember good memories, since the good and the bad memories were often two sides of the same coin, and remembering one side would often lead to the other.

Lelouch glanced at the hanging clock above the door. It's hands forming the shape of a slanted L. It was almost 2 in the afternoon. He was beyond late for his classes. Giving up on his classes, Lelouch opened a drawer from the desk, pulling a single piece of paper and placing in it on top of the desk. The piece of paper was nothing more than a map of the world, a few circles scribbled around some lands.

Ever since Nonette had informed him of the Emperor's interest in the ancient ruins, Lelouch had made sure to gather information on them without alerting his father. Based on Nonette's descriptions and the Emperor's activities, he had located four of them.

The first of the ruins was probably somewhere in Pendragon, maybe inside the Imperial Palace. His father spent all his time inside the palace and often disappeared without a trace, only to reappear later sitting on his throne.

The second was in Japan. Nonette had described her missions in detail and the invasion and establishment of Area 11 further solidified the chances that there was a ruin somewhere in Japan. Although it might have seemed like Charles had invaded Japan for its wealth of Sakuradite, it was the very fact that he had allowed the Elevens to remain holding the rights to the Sakuradite around Mt. Fuji that the reason for the invasion of Japan was simply just to take control of the area.

The third ruin was somewhere within the Amazon forest of what used to be the republic of Gran Colombia. Gran Colombia was the first nation in the New World to gain independence from its European overlords. It was also the very first territory that Charles had conquered, forgoing the fact that some of the neighboring nations in the Caribbean and Central America were still independent and immediately became hostile towards Britannia. Not that they were able to withstand the might of the Holy Britannian Empire.

Finally, Lelouch circled the area encompassing South Africa and the Republic of the Congo. Just last month South Africa became the first Britannian Area in the African continent. Following the establishment of what is now Area 15, Charles had ordered the invasion of the Republic of the Congo.

All four ruins were located in different continents, meaning that the civilization that created them must have been large enough to at least send explorers to all corners of the world. As far a Lelouch knew, there wasn't any civilization in written history that was advanced enough to be able to travel the world and create these ruins. Lelouch could only come up with a couple theories of the origins of these ruins.

One was that there must have been an ancient civilization that was so advanced that when it fell, its technology was so powerful that it completely wiped out any traces of the civilization and only left the ruins behind as proof of its existence. Another possible explanation was that these ruins were from even before humanity existed, meaning that these weren't ruins at all but instead were something that nature had created, something along the lines of magic.

Lelouch knew that both of these theories were very farfetched and had decided to completely disregard the ruins' origins. Instead, he would focus on what they were capable of. Charles must have learned of their purpose or capabilities if he had invested so much time and resources into obtaining them. In the end, Lelouch wouldn't be able to learn anything about them until he entered one himself.

The one inside the palace might be the nearest one, but it was also the hardest to find without arousing suspicion. Even if he found it, Charles must have the place completely guarded or closed off. The one near the Congo was a no go as the surrounding area was still a warzone. Between the one in Area 2 (Gran Colombia) and Area 11, Lelouch had chosen the latter. Lelouch could mask his search inside Area 11 as just a simple visit to the Ashford family. Also, he could probably convince Clovis to allow him to move around freely, away from the Britannian military.

Now that Lelouch had finished planning his future actions, it was about time he began training. He could easily justify skipping on the classes at the Royal Academy as he already had mastered most of the subjects in his grade, so much so that not even his teachers could argue against his attendance rate. Knightmare training, on the other hand, was something that Lelouch knew he shouldn't take lightly. No matter how well one could pilot a Knightmare, inexperience or inability to act due to unpreparedness could cost him his life.

After returning the map inside the drawer, Lelouch exited the private office. Awaiting him outside was an Eleven maid a few years older than him. Her name was Sayoko. Ruben Ashford had encountered her when he first moved to Area 11. Ruben must have believed her to be very capable as he insistently asked Lelouch to bring her into his family's service. According to Ruben, not only was she a very caring maid, but also a capable fighter of her own, making her perfect for taking care of Nunally.

However, Alicia was completely against the idea, as she believed that anyone who wasn't Britannian was of a lower species. She believed that by keeping around an Eleven it would lower the vi Britannia's standing in court, not like it could go any lower at this point.

After a few arguments, Alicia finally compromised. Sayoko would be allowed to serve the two royal children, but only inside the Aries Villa. She wouldn't be allowed to leave the palace on her own.

Since Nunally was currently at the academy, Sayoko had decided to attend to the prince. At first Lelouch was wary of Sayoko, after all it was Britannia who had invaded her former country and probably killed some of the people she knew, but after watching her interact with Nunally, Lelouch had opened up to her.

In fact, Lelouch had begun to trust Sayoko enough that he had her help him gather information on his father's activities. Sayoko proved to be an excellent spy as she was capable of leaving and entering the palace without raising suspicion. Sometimes Lelouch wondered where she had learned all those skills.

Sayoko bowed and began following the prince as he continued walking along the corridor.

"Sayoko, could you organize a visit to Area 11?. Make it seem like I'm visiting the Ashfords as well as their academy. I'm not sure how much time I will need, so find an excuse that will allow me to stay there for a very long time."

The maid nodded before taking off, leaving Lelouch alone as he arrived at the main stairs. Trying to avoid remembering the events that occurred on those very stairs, Lelouch focused on the two figures at the bottom. One was a familiar figure, as she would often visit the villa and help Lelouch train. The other, however, was someone whom Lelouch hardly ever talked to.

Nonette Enneagram and Beatrice Franks stood below him, both so caught up on their conversation that they didn't notice Lelouch approach until he finished walking down the stairs.

Beatrice was the first to turn, saluting him as he stood in front of the two Knights of the Rounds.

"Good afternoon, Prince Lelouch."

"Hello Beatrice, it is quite the surprise to see you visit the Aries Villa." Lelouch greeted back before turning his sight to Nonette.

The Knight of Nine simply shrugged. It seems even she wasn't aware of Beatrice's reason for her visit.

"I was sent by Emperor Charles. Your father has been planning on adding more Knights of the Round. Today he declared that he would host a Knightmare tournament to decide who will join our ranks."

"A tournament? That's... new."

Lelouch was aware of his father's lack of knights. Both Bismarck and Beatrice were in charge of Pendragon's and the Emperor's defenses, so they had to stay in the capital. Olivia was the head of Pluton, as such she was usually occupied. Both Heinrich and Richard were tasked with supporting the Britannian Military and were always on the battlefield. The last he had heard from Sayoko was that Heinrich was in Area 15 preparing for the invasion of the Republic of Congo while Richard was staying in Euro Britannia, overseeing their latest campaign against the E.U. That only left him with three knights that he could order at any given time.

The problem was that up until now, Charles had personally chosen each of his knights. Although Charles believed that only those with merit could rise in Britannia, he had never chosen any of the knights based solely on their ability with a Knightmare.

"Although I'm aware of my father's lack of knights, I still don't understand what your purpose is for visiting me."

"The tournament is only going to be open for young Britannians. Any individual who is 25 years-old or younger will be allowed to participate. Since your highness is very well renowned all over empire, his majesty the Emperor wishes you to participate in order to test some of the contestants."

Lelouch was surprised by the request. However, after pondering for a few seconds, Lelouch had finally decided. This tournament could also be for his benefit.

"I will play my father's game. I will participate in this tournament."

 **Inside the Sword of Akasha**

Charles stood at the edge of the platform. His gaze fixed on the sky that seemed to stretch infinitely beyond the horizon. Behind him, the steps of his immortal brother, V.V., could be heard.

"I don't understand."

V.V. had stood beside Charles, his eyes also fixed on the horizon. No doubt that even now the Gods kept hidden somewhere out there.

"What's the point of this tournament of yours? The children have already mastered their Geass. They won't be beat by anyone, especially some brats. If you truly wish to test them, it would be better to just send them off to war."

Charles actions have always been a mystery to his brother. As Charles grew older, it almost became impossible for the twins to see eye to eye. It became even worse when Charles met Marianne. Even after her death, Charles continued to focus his attention elsewhere. Sometimes V.V. wondered if his brother still remembered their original goal.

"The kids might be able to keep their powers under control, but it is a different matter if they are capable of using it in the heat of battle. Besides, how could I explain the sudden appearance of some extraordinary adolescents whose backgrounds are dubious at best. It is much easier to pit them against other children while they pose as orphans who wanted to leave behind a life a poverty."

"Then what about that woman's kid. Surely there isn't any reason for him to be participating too."

Charles finally smiled, his grin slightly annoyed his twin brother.

"The boy is his mother's child after all. I wonder how far he will go. He may yet have use for us. If he loses, then it only meant that he was just weak and useless."

V.V. had kept watch over the young prince ever since his audience with Charles. Not only was he sure that Lelouch was aware of the existence of the Thought Elevators, but he was also actively trying to interfere with them together with that meddling Knight of the Round. V.V. had often tried to convince Charles to do something, even just dismissing the woman. But his brother only shrugged and had allowed them to act freely. If Charles hadn't sent people to watch over the prince at all times, V.V. would have taken care of the problem long ago.

V.V. turned around and started walking away slowly.

"No matter, is not like he will be able to stand against the powers of the Geass. And in tournaments such as these, it won't be a surprised if accidents occurred."

Charles was once again left alone. His eyes never turning away from the horizon.

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Between spending time with family, preparing for a new semester, doing some research and reading other fanfics, this chapter took a while to write._

 _I guess I will address the biggest issue first. I do understand everyone's points when it comes to having a harem, especially dealing with Lelouch position as a prince. However at this point in the story his power is limited. He is only the eleventh prince and very young. With that said, it is not like I'm completely going to scratch any interaction with girls other than the main one. It Is just not going to be a bigger focus. So sure, he will have relationships with others and even develop feelings for them eventually, but it will take time and won't magically lead to the creation of a harem especially at his age._

 _As for Rolo and the other kids with Geass, yes, they are currently in the Order. But after the events of the tournament, they will begin appearing outside of the Order. It is not like their involvement in the Order completely isolated them the outside. An example would be how Rolo and Clara were tasked with being Lelouch's siblings and even went to school with him._

 _It is true that Charles had like 108 wives and probably even more children. But let's also note that Lelouch is the eleventh prince and he is only fifteen at this point in time. Meaning that most of the children are probably even much younger than him and thus their influence in the world would be almost negligible. I might add a few siblings here and there and have them involved one way or another like Clovis is. Also, yes I will have Guinevere take an important role in the story, but that wouldn't be until around the climax, so it might be a while. She will appear every so often though._

 _Finally, both Suzaku and Kallen will have importance in the story. Kallen will interact with Lelouch more in the future while the actions of Suzaku will serve to move the plot forward._

 _Well, thanks everyone that followed/favorited the story so far. If you have any comments, complains, praise, or observations just leave a review to let me know. I do read them and they help me too._


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